Reviews

"I've gained my life back"

I grew up in Wagga, but over the last 20 years I've lived in several cities (large and medium). Cities are fine when you're young and single and have time to work 80 hours a week, while you then socialise with friends until the wee hours of the morning. But at some point you start to figure out that all this time spent in traffic/commuting, all the high costs for things (housing, food, parking, etc.) and the limited time you now have for friends, is not worth the six figure salary. A six figure salary that doesn't get you very far anyway.We moved our young family to Wagga recently and haven't regretted it. We've had our challenges, but we experienced those same challenges (and more) in any of our city moves over the last 20 years. Everything is more relaxed in Wagga and we actually have time to spend with our family - not just working to get by.My brother and sister have told me repeatedly that they would love to move back, but they feel stuck where they are. Country towns aren't for everyone - you can't honk at someone to hurry up at a traffic light because they're likely to be your neighbour, you can't run a dodgy business because word gets around. It is a community with all the bad and good things that come with that.For those that say it is dry, there's nothing to do, the people are rude; I'd say it is what you make of it. There are great; outdoor activities (river, beach, lake, bushwalks, etc.), events, theatre, arts, wine, food, and more. I have two young boys and there's also trampoline centres, laser tag, fun houses, free zoo, miniature trains, great parks and more for the kids.I haven't regretted the move, but I have definitely arrived with an open mind and friendly attitude that has helped our family fit in very quickly.

"An excellent country city that grows on you!"

In my opinion, Wagga has definitely come up in the world!!! My work moved us here in 2007. For the first six months, as a Sydney raised boy from the 'nice' Northern Beaches suburbs, I couldn't wait to leave Wagga in an instant, BUT, over time, when we went to visit my parents and in-laws in Sydney, we came to the realisation that Wagga was just what we needed. I couldn't imagine moving back to the Northern Beaches of Sydney, it's turned into a sardine can, where as at least Wagga, is open spaces, less traffic and fresh air. The quality of life here is DECENT!

We have watched Wagga grow and change, and are very happy that it has 'EVERYTHING' (except a David Jones dept. store). All your shopping needs are here (except for David Jones and high luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Prada etc).

Look, the education is good. I've watched the schools evolve over time and I teach at one of the part-selective high schools in town. Our school boasts children who are on par with students who would attend Sydney based selective schools such as North Sydney Girls/Boys High, James Rouse High, Sydney Girls/Boys High. My children attend the new Montessori preschool.

The new hospital is good and there are heaps of specialists. For instance, my wife requires a nephrologist (a kidney doctor) which actually exist in 'little country' Wagga. Our children were born at the Calvary (private hospital) and the doctors and nurses were amazing. My wife's gyno/ob doctor moved from Sydney too. She's a legend and has integrated well into the community.

The multiculturalism of this town is great! For instance, the Fusion Festival in October is AMAZING and all the food stalls have increased in number. Heaps of restaurants of different background popping up all over the place; this place is only getting better!!!

Lake Albert is a treat! Great lake to walk around.

Criticisms: Wagga City Council councillors were once an impenetrable old boys club, which is slowly eroding. Their interests in the past have served their own needs, not the community's.

Some builders have monopolies on some land parcels, and some of them charge a small fortune to build a nice 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house (however, compared to big cities, housing in Wagga is CHEAP!).

In recent years, ice usage has become a problem (but where else hasn't it???)...

Take a drive and take a look... lots to do... great place to raise a family... I would imagine in the future, Charles Sturt University would probably have a medical degree on the cards, because the dental and vet degree students have AMAZING facilities. It would only be fitting if CSU followed suit with some type of rural medicine degree... watch this space... :)

"Lots of opportunity and high standard of living"

Having moved to Wagga from Sydney (Hurstville) 15 years ago one thing is certain: I'd never move back 'home'.
Wagga has so much to offer couples with young families. The most obvious benefit is house prices. Wagga, unlike Sydney, offers families the chance to own a nice home with easy access to shops and schools. $400,000 will buy a near-new 4 bedroom home with a swimming pool in a nice area. I live 10kms east of central Wagga at Forest Hill (close to the airport and RAAF base). You can still buy a family home at Forest Hill for under $250,000. You may need to renovate the kitchen and/or bathroom, but for value for money Forest Hill can't be beaten; it's also a safe and friendly neighbourhood with very low levels of crime.
Some parts of Wagga have moderate to high levels of crime (parts of Tolland and Ashmont in particular). Break and enters and vehicle torchings are a regular occurrence in some areas. Rates of serious assaults and murder are very low.
Contrary to some other opinions here, work opportunities are very good in Wagga. The unemployment rate is 4.26% (December 2016), which is far less than west Sydney, Illawarra and Newcaslte. Affordable mortgages offer a dual income family plenty of scope to save for regular holidays, both within Australia and abroad.
Shopping is covered on all fronts. Large department stores (Myer, K-Mart etc.), as well as boutique outlets.
Wagga has also become very multicultural over the past decade and this fact is mirrored by a thriving and diverse restaurant culture. The annual Food and Wine Festival is truly magical! Ditto the annual Multicultural Street Festival.
If cafes are your thing then Wagga won't disappoint. Wagga also has a thriving arts and literary culture.
And traffic snarls are non-existent!
The only major downside is the lack of decent and affordable public transport. Two cars are a must for couples with a family. Some of the roads are in a poor state of repair (a major talking point among locals).
It can also get very hot in Jan, Feb and early March. A swimming pool is a must!
All in all Wagga is a great place to live, work and raise a family.

"A rolling stone"

We moved to Wagga 8 years ago from

IF you are selling a house in Sydney or near a big city, then you will be pleasantly surprised at the cost of houses. (However, the house prices are not all cheap and the salaries in Wagga are generally a lot lower than city salaries.)
The proximity to work is a plus, with traffic not really an issue although as the city is the fastest growing inland city in NSW, the road infrastructure is not going to be adequate and there are some parts which are ridiculous (Tarcutta/lake Albert and Edward street intersection for eg). Also, the Sturt and Olympic 'highways' are single lane roads with high volumes of trucks and heavy vehicles using them and for a small but growing city, the roads need serious attention.
A new hospital is being built and the old (eye sore) one will be demolished.
The new one looks out of place because it's so modern and yet it has no more beds than the old one. Doctors and other professionals are not born and bred in Wagga. They move here. But many send their children to private boarding schools in Sydney because they don't think even the private schools are up to scratch. There are only 2 private high schools, 2 systemic catholic high schools and a private catholic school.

The university offers very few options outside of health,
Education and agriculture.
There are a lot of health workers and trades people in Wagga apart from the newbies coming for work from cities. Wagga is a great place to settle if you have a very young family but if the children don't want to study agriculture, Equine studies or health then they will have to leave Wagga and go to a university in a city that has more to offer them.
That said, there is a TAFE and community college and childcare and trades are popular in Wagga.
There is a zoo, botanic gardens and parks, the junee
Chocolate factory and the movies and bowling and an indoor swimming centre. There is a serious lack of opportunities and services for teenagers. There is a juvenile detention centre in Wagga and a prison in neighbouring Junee.
Wagga doesn't have an ice rink and despite boasting that it had arts and culture, compared to other progressive centres (rural and regional ones at that) it is quite bland and has nothing really interesting. There is not much variety when it comes to the music and theatre because it is a small town but there are visiting productions. There is a glass gallery and the art gallery has some good exhibitions but teenagers are not catered to.
There are sufficient (and great) coffee shops and eateries and some lovely boutique shopping. It's a pretty town with the lovely lagoon and beautiful streets but you wouldn't know there is a river unless you have the directions and there has been no development on the river - only a caravan park at the only recreational and swimming area (there are other areas but they're not developed spots) and the caravan park will soon be gone (which is good because it is ugly).. There is a 'beach' and that's where everybody goes to swim on hot days but there have been a few drownings so the river is dangerous. No restaurants or coffee shops on the river, no kayaks for hire or lots of picnic spots. There is one hotel that has a deck over looking the river but it's from a distance and it's a small area. Wagga is very cliquey and whilst people are very friendly, dont hold your breath for an invitation to a BBQ, even if you host it first. Those born and bred in Wagga just love it and think it's great. They stick up for their little town and it's clear they don't really know about the big wide world outside of this little
Riverina town. That said, there are some very interesting and intellectual people fortunately - but they moved here - they studied elsewhere, they've travelled... They are not locals. There is a large African refugee community and lots of community events. When the lake is full, if you have a boat, you can enjoy water sports but although the lake circumference is around 10kms,
There is really only 1 major area for picnics. The library has plenty on offer for young children who seem to be catered for very well but it's a relatively small library for the capital of the region. People with young families would probably really benefit from a
Move to friendly, because of proximity to work, child care, pace etc.
It's a small city with a country feel and it's not difficult to see why people genuinely love it, until they're teenagers. There is a problem with ice and other drugs -
Probably due to boredom,
Family breakdown and unemployment. I don't feel unsafe in Wagga but I don't venture down town on a Saturday late and I avoided certain dodgy areas. There is a bowling centre and cinema and skate parks. teens often hang out at macdonalds and Wagga has a high rate of obesity although there are plenty gyms.
The weather is quite extreme - hot summers and cold winters. Wagga has plenty of sports so families will be very busy. It has a transient population because people leave and there is a military base.
Also, the flights to Sydney and Melbourne are expensive.
Canberra is 3 hours away and it's slap bang in the middle of Melbourne and Sydney so it can feel isolated but it's not far to a major city for a weekend.

All in all, an easy enough town to live in with some great facilities and a friendly community with no traffic woes. lacking in development of river and lake and facilities and opportunities for youth.

"Great Town But Lacking Opportunity"

I've lived in Wagga for only 6 months, but feel like I've gained a pretty good sense of the place in that time. Wagga is a great town with a lovely country vibe, and I am still taken aback by the friendliness of the locals. Customer service in Wagga is terrific most places you go and everyone seems to be up for a genuine chat - there's none of that mundane "Would-you-like-fries-with-that?" scripted verse, but legitimate conversation. It's lovely. The town itself is easy to navigate around, has great shopping options, gorgeous parks, and of course the Murrumbidgee river running through is beautiful. I find the downfall of Wagga is it's lack of opportunity. The unemployment rate is high, and job seeking is hugely competitive. The main employment opportunities seem to lie within the health sector (lots of jobs for doctors, nurses and other health professionals) and university professionals. I am fully qualified in a career I've been working in for 11 years, and when the job I moved to Wagga for fell through, I found myself sort of stranded here unable to find more work in my field and having to resort to applying for the likes of supermarket work, and finding even that kind of work INCREDIBLY difficult to obtain. Basically, DON'T move here if you don't already have a secure job lined up beforehand, or an exit-option if it doesn't work out (ie, don't stupidly lock yourself into a 12 month lease on a house in case things don't work out! Ha.)
A bad experience like the one I've had in moving here would normally taint most people's perception of a town, but despite the difficulties I've personally had since being here, I still find Wagga to be a really endearing town. There's nothing quite like going for a run around Lake Albert, watching kids enjoy the animals at the Wagga Zoo (which is free!) and visiting the gorgeous places surrounding, like Junee with it's awesome chocolate & liquorice factory! There are a few "dodgy" areas, as is the case with any town, however the interesting thing I found in Wagga as opposed to other towns, is how spread out the "slum" areas can be.... in that, the "dodgy" areas are quite often less sectioned to suburbs as they are streets. When I was house hunting I found it notable that one street would be quite upper-class and pristine, then you'd go round the block and there's police tape, burnt out car bodies and graffiti abound (not even making that up!) I was lucky to know some locals before moving here, and was worded up on the "bad" streets and areas - Suburbs worthy of steering clear of if you can help it are Tolland, Ashmont (the locals lovingly refer to as "Trashmont") and some parts of Kooringal. But I encourage anyone to drive around and scope all areas out for yourself - you'll very quickly get a feel for the surroundings, it's pretty black and white here. All in all though, Wagga is a beautiful place to live if you have a purpose here.

"Middle of the road"

I grew up in Wagga and my husband and I came back (after living in Sydney) when we had our first child. Our two reasons for coming back were the cost of living in Sydney with a reduced income and the fact that we both had family here. Wagga was a great place to grow up but I do feel it has deteriorated since then. It has good and bad points but I think it would be quite a hard place to try to settle in if you had not grown up here. It can be hard to meet people, I actually found people in Sydney friendlier! I think this is because we met lots of people who had moved from somewhere else and were keen to make new friends. Wagga can be a bit cliquey. It is easier to meet people through your children (eg. their school, daycare etc) than in a social setting. There seems to be ongoing problems with the Council, ranging from long delays with development applications to infighting. Even though Wagga is classed as a city these days, there are still quite a lot of people living in the dark ages. The local paper often prints letters from people quoting bible passages supporting their particular prejudice, mainly against gay people. The main benefits of Wagga as opposed to Sydney: it's less expensive of course and It is much easier to get around IF YOU HAVE A CAR. You really can't manage here without one, the public transport is very poor. As far as entertainment etc goes, there's plenty of pubs etc but the main street, where most of the pubs are located, gets rough at night. Assaults are not unusual. There are no night buses and not enough cabs so you have all these people pouring out of the pubs and the nightclub with no way to get home. If you don't live in Central, it's really too far to walk and those who do walk are taking the risk of being assualted. We don't really go out here. Most pubs are full of young people getting smashed and there are plenty of young men who go out looking for a fight. As far as employment goes, I wouldn't say it's really easy to find work but if you want to work, you will probably find something. There is competition for good positions. An issue I have with Wagga is the real estate market. Prices for sales and rentals are way too high in comparison to somewhere like Albury-Wodonga, Renting a property can be a nightmare. There is lots of competion for decent properties and most agents are apathetic, rude or both.

The public hosptial is very outdated and there are frequent horror stories about patients suffering from lack of staff and/or medical mistakes. It's a bit of a lottery.

There are some nice suburbs but all overpriced. Best areas are: parts of Central, parts of Kooringal, parts of Turvey Park and probably around the lake itself in Lake Albert. Tatton is expensive and considered a good area but you won't find any character there, just large spec houses. Bourkelands is similar but not as expensive, with a mix of small and large spec houses. Glenfield has smaller spec houses and some trouble spots because of it's proximity to Ashmont and Tolland. Tolland is not a good area generally nor is Ashmont or Mt Austin, though they all have little pockets that are OK. Personally, I wouldn't live in any of those suburbs (Ashmont, Tolland, Mt Austin). There are good and bad schools and because they are all zoned now (even the private ones) you really need to pick your address to get your kids into a good school. The best public primary schools (from what I've been told) are Wagga Public (in Central) and South Wagga (Central/Turvey Park). I've also heard Kooringal Public is good. Out of the public high schools, Wagga High (Central) probably has the best reputation. With the private schools, I think they are all OK.

There is not alot to do with kids that doesn't involve spending money. There are some nice parks, playgrounds and a little zoo (which is free) but once you've done that, there's not alot left. There's a swimming centre, but of course you have to pay to get in and even through the kids love it most adults I know can't stand it. It's indoor, really noisy and very strong chlorine smell. There is an outdoor pool but the safe pools for kids are inside. The indoor play centre has re-opened but at $9 per child you can't do it all the time. On the positive side, we have a movie theatre, a civic theatre that shows plays etc, and a good art gallery. There's often good exhibitions on either at the art gallery or one of the two museum sites. These are usually free. The public library is also quite good and there are some nice restaurants (and some crappy ones!). Winter is pretty bleak in Wagga. It gets very cold so you need the heater going all the time which is very expensive. I think there are better places to live and I can't see myself staying here forever.

truthfultracyOverall, I agree with this summary of Wagga, having lived there from 2005-2011. We lived in Huthwaite street, Mount Austin, backing on to the aged care facility, & the only crime we experienced in 5 years was a car window being smashed and items stolen. I always felt safe there. Also, my daughter attended Turvey Park Public, and I found it to be a great, friendly school, with good facilities. Everything else stated is 100% correct, & very well observed! :)

2yrs+

janehopeYes, I agree. Huthwaite Street is nice and quiet. I think because it's not really a thoroughfare, you mainly get locals. I must admit I'm out of the loop with Turvey Park Public (although my husband did go there about a thousand years ago!). It's good to hear it's still a nice school. I'm interested in where you have moved to and what you think of it! We are on the hunt for a new location in the next five years or so.

2yrs+

truthfultracyafter Wagga we went to Truganina, a new suburb in Melbs western suburbs - hated it! Just couldn't settle. Found it hard to feel like part if the community with every ethnicity & socio-economic background you can think of. Everyone kinda keeps to themselves. Nevermind the appalling traffic with underdeveloped infrastructure. My daughter is in year three & get school had 1200 students, with no adequate parking and number 10 in the state for amount of portable classrooms. Anyway, we've moved to the Albury-Wodonga area, only in the past week, so too early to make a proper assessment. So far, so good, though. Locals are extremely friendly & helpful. I have asked many locals what they think of the area & the only downside I have heard is lack of "things for teenagers to do", but in my experience, that can happen anywhere. Overall, I like the fact there are great bike tracks, parks, nice towns in the area to visit, proximity to snow fields & lakes, only three hours to Melbourne & adjacent to Albury, so we have access to all facilities.

2yrs+

janehopeThanks for your reply. We sometimes go to Albury for the weekend and to us it seems more progressive than Wagga and it has a nice atmosphere. Very different to Wagga for somewhere so close. Maybe it's the Melbourne influence. I've never heard anyone say their area has heaps for teenagers to do so I think you're right about that!

2yrs+

Add a comment...

The opinions expressed within this review are those of the individual reviewer and not those of Homely.com.au.Report

"You need a good, solid job to live here."

Lived on Wagga, in particular, Mt Austin for 5 years and had no criminal trouble in all that time, apart from the car window being smashed one night & things stolen. This is despite adjoining the "dodgy suburb" of Turvey Park & the one with the even worse reputation, Tolland, where there are large swathes of Housing Commission homes (many which have been sold off now, I believe) Public transport is not the best, one bus an hour into town. Most people would find they need a car. People are generally friendly, although judgemental on where you live. The suburb of Ashmont is called “Trashmont” by the locals, which is unfortunate as there are plenty of decent people out there. Having said that, there are plenty of rough people in Wagga in general, too. I think it is more noticable because in Wagga you really have to go to the city to go shopping, other than your groceries, so all walks of life converge into one area. There is no way you can avoid the single mums & yobbos completely – even if you buy a huge block on the outskirts of town or buy in an expensive suburb – these places have little or no shopping facilities so it's in the car & in you go, along with everyone else! I don't think that's a bad thing. I like a mixture of backgrounds & cultures. Many locals do not like the influx of Aficans & blame them for crime rise. True or not, Wagga just has to get used to be more muliti-cultural. My biggest gripe in Wagga is the lack of employment – unless you are skilled you will probably have to work at Cargill, the abbotoir. I also don't like the and lack of free things to do, particularly with kids. Yes, the botanical gardens are great, & the Wollundry Lagoon area is nice, but that's about it. Other parks are not really worth mentioning, which is a shame for a place the size of Wagga. Should be better. There are lots of sporting groups though, & there will be something you will find that you like. Riding your bike in Wagga can be a taking-your-life-into your-own-hands situation. My husband was actually hit, once, & after a couple of near-misses, I refused to ride the bike (car, anyone?). Medically, there seems to be everything the average person would need. The public hospital IS poor. (had a ceasaian birth there) Schools: the public & high school in Mt Austin had a bad reputation for bullying. Generally, all the rest seemed adequate. Overall, it is not a bad place to live, but I wouldn't move there unless you were going there for a specific purpose, like good employment, or to be nearer to family.

"Good with the bad....."

I have lived here 20 years, after moving here as a child. As a holiday stop over its ok, but if you are moving here then as my title suggests, you need to take the good with the bad!! PROS: I found a lovely child care centre that my girls have been in for 5 years. There is a local doctors surgery that usually bulk bills. The rope park and botanic garden are nice when not packed. The shopping centres have all the major options like Coles, Woolworths and Aldi etc. Lake Albert and Forest Hill are the better options for rentals with lower rental prices, smaller supermarkets, pharmacy, newsagent and doctors all within each suburb.....I wouldnt live in any other area but Forest Hill and Lake Albert, if you can afford the rentals of course!!!!

CONS: More and more smaller shops are closing down. Parking is average, get there early or later in the day and you are using fine. Pick the area you move to.... stay away from Ashmont, Tolland, areas in Kooringal, areas in Central and areas in Turvey Park. All the good areas are really expensive to rent. Overall Wagga itself is just crap, unless you stay away from the centre itself unless you need Big W or Kmart. The council and how it runs Wagga is crap. Be prepared for major ongoing car repairs as the roads are shocking!!!! There is also a huge amount of aged drivers who need to retire off the roads as they are the major causes of near misses and actual accidents. I am now moving from Wagga to a smaller town, its just not where I want my kids to grow up!!! As mentioned in another review, the crime has increased at an alarming rate..... we have had murders, shootings, car-jacking, child abductions, increase in break ins and armed break ins and thats just within the last year. 5 years ago you didnt need to lock your house door, now even locked doors dont deter them. Also is the major imigaration spot for African migrants. Real estates are just aweful, with huge amount of applicants for each property. Its common that they put you on a waiting list to view a property and never ring you back. If you do apply it takes ages to get an answer. Majority are rude and shouldnt be in the business at all..... that goes for a lot of the stores too!!! People take what ever job they can get as its very hard to get a job here unless its in fast food chains.

truthfultracyI have found many Real Estate Agents in Wagga to be rude to the extreme, too.

2yrs+

BatmanisAwesomeWell, Don't you dare talk about my town in that ill toned voice. I am Disgraced in the way you are talking about my town. People who want to come here are reading your comment and are shying away. So thanks alot for dissing my Town i am very happy you are moving.

2yrs+

KellyHulmeWell, BatmanisAwesome, I am thinking of moving to Wagga and I need to know the truth about the place. I have one relative who lives just outside of town and they love Wagga but I want to know if I can get a job as easily as they tell me and that I will be able to rent a property and that it is a better place than where I want to leave. Otherwise, I'm going to be wasting an awful lot of time, money and energy. So why do you love it so much?

2yrs+

indramI am actually moving to Wagga for work and I am an African migrant. Some negative attitudes towards Africans are uncalled for. Most migrants coming to Wagga are professionals who are very schooled and disciplined. If there are a handful who have been found on the wrong side of the law, they don't represent the whole population of migrants. Scum can be found among any group of people regardless of their origin. If you are not Aboriginal you are a migrant because you were born of migrant parents or their parents were. So, just shut up and have a cup of tea before you utter stuff that you cannot justify. Thank you though for the other truthful stuff that have been written by others above.

Jul 15, 2017

dylanc3Too batman is awesome or whatever you're name is grow up this is a site for reviews don't like some people's expressions of a suburb 'NOT JUST YOUR SUBURB' well then tough luck deal with it you have youre views of you're town and everyone else has their own views stop carrying on like a TODDLER I MEAN SERIOUSLY HOW IMMATURE CAN YOU GET!!!!! LUCKY I DONT LIVE IN THIS TOWN THERES NO WAY ID BE PUTTING UP WITH NONSENSE FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU FULL STOP.

May 02, 2018

Add a comment...

The opinions expressed within this review are those of the individual reviewer and not those of Homely.com.au.Report

"Wouldnt live anywhere else!"

Lived here my whole life and I understand Wagga is not experiencing its most prosperous era but with national and multi national companies such as RMT opening up at Bomen, the boom times of Wagga will be upon us again. High returns on my rental properties has never varied much besides the usual 3 - 4% increase each year and are rarely empty.

"Quiet Contry Living & Rental Opportunities"

If you have solid employment within the area and are looking for a relaxed lifestyle that is within an affordable budget than Wagga is the place for you. Also great rental property opportunities exist with Wagga having a large moving population consisting of people from the RAAF base at Forest Hill, the Army base at Kapooka and the Charles Sturt University (CSU). Rental returns far exceed any ratio acheivable on the coast with returns in the realm of 12% pa.

"Wagga a town of many levels"

Lake Albert 5 Kilometres of gorgeous trail, to bike, walk, run, pedal, push or ride NOW...you can also paddle a canoe, water ski, power boat, fish.
Gorgeous bird life on the lake. The Lake is so beautiful now, it; s a real picture.
Medical facilties are fantastic. Doctors very good. We should have moved to Wagga years ago! SO glad we came here.

thetruth1Wagga has the worst rated hospital in NSW it is in the paper every second day for their bad treatment. If you want a doctor and specialist in this town they will not bulk bill you and for some medical treatments they send you 3 hours to canberra the only decient hospital here is private.

2yrs+

JaneSFor anyone wondering....there is a new public hospital being built as i type!

2yrs+

Add a comment...

The opinions expressed within this review are those of the individual reviewer and not those of Homely.com.au.Report

"Don't waste your time moving to wagga wagga find a better town"

3 years ago Wagga was a nice place to live but now it has a very high crime rate with frequent murders, kidnappings, break ins, alcohol and drug violence. The hospital has rated worst in NSW state they have no Permanent doctors, their obstetric care is really bad there is no bulk billing specialists in this town and for large emergencies and most specialists you need to travel 3 hours to Canberra hospital, The hospital and their facilities are very out dated and the government will not be giving them a new hospital any time soon. Only a few good shops here. There are barley any nice parks to take the kids to and there is no play center any more as it closed down. There are NO JOBS in this town. The council does not keep Wagga clean. Stay away from Ashmont (trashmont) is what the locals call it also avoid Tolland as it is full of drug addicts, alcoholics and criminals. I wish some one had have warned us about moving to Wagga before we did or we would not have moved here.

thetruth1I would not recommend this town for families with kids as the medical facilities and schools here are bad there is a very high crime rate with kidnappings and alot of murders, breakins,drugs and crime. The play center has now closed down so there is nothing for kids to do here

2yrs+

Add a comment...

The opinions expressed within this review are those of the individual reviewer and not those of Homely.com.au.Report

"Wagga Wagga - Easy access to the Riverina"

Wagga Wagga is in south western NSW on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. Wagga Wagga is often referred to just as Wagga which means crow. The town is large and has many attractions such as art galleries, museums of several different types and beautiful botanic gardens. There are many walking tracks around the area and 30 kms to the south of the town is Livingstone National Park and State Conservation Area. Wagga also has a choice of wineries to visit and some great shopping areas. There is no shortage of accommodation either with backpackers, B & B’s, caravan parks, motels and hotels to choose from. There are some great entertainment venues and restaurants and cafes all serving great food. For the takeaway lover, Wagga has all the usual fast food outlets.

RiddleI find it amusing how you give Wagga 5 stars when you probably have not even been there once. Wagga Wagga is and never will be a 5-star city. Just 3 stars would be overly generous."Recommended for Families with kids"...No. Definitely not, sorry.

2yrs+

Add a comment...

The opinions expressed within this review are those of the individual reviewer and not those of Homely.com.au.Report

"Not your usual country town"

Wagga Wagga turned out to be a bigger town than expected. I was on my way to Mildura and was surprised to find that Wagga Wagga is the final stop before you need to drive for hours just to get to Mildura.

Wagga is not your typical quaint country town. It is a hub and is more like Albury-Wodonga. There are many restaurants, cafes, chain stores, shopping malls, take away outlets, franchise stores and etc around Wagga. The main street is very wide and clean. The houses here are like those in any typical suburb in Sydney. The only difference is, Wagga is much cleaner and neater than Sydney. It is a well plan town that has plenty to do and none of that “sleepy town” feel.